I often surf the Internet for sculptures and other art mediums to see what sparks my interest--or catch my eye if you will. I also look through magazines and catalogues for eye-catching designs or "the look" to spark my imagination. Everything that I look at, whether in print, on the television, or in real life, I examine from an artistic point of view to see if there is art value in it. As a self-taught artist, this is how the process begins for me and my very active imagination.

Art value to me is something that visually stimulates my spark of imagination or rather my very active imagination. An item may have the lines or curves that will drive me to distraction and I end up taking out my sketch pad and sketching out several designs that move me. However, as most other artists know, once I start to paint or fabricate, the sketch pad falls to the wayside and I create solely from my creative "mind’s eye". Most of my designs do actually start out on paper, however, without fail, the sketched design never materializes as the end product as my mind takes over and I end up with a completely new design.I often wake up in the wee hours of the morning with a new design that I must start on right away. To say that I am then consumed is a gross understatement...my family likes to say that I am possessed or obsessed (depending on which one you ask) with the work until it is completed to my satisfaction. Which can take hours or days...most of my work does not stretch out into months, at least not the creating part of it. The finishing process may stretch out depending on the work in progress for example, one of my steel sculptures, if it is to be painted or powder coated will end as the finishing process takes longer to complete.The creative process for me is more about the art of discovery rather than the actual creation. What I mean by that is the discovery process is a culmination of the sketched design that I mentioned above and the finished piece. Remember that I do not often stick with the work on paper rather I end up with an object of discovery as my imagination takes over and completes the finished art piece.So tell me, what sparks your creative juices?

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As an artistic engineer, I want my creative spirit to inspire the viewer to think outside the box of their normal boundaries. I want viewers to interpret my artwork into whatever moves them beyond their normal boundaries to see what can be instead of just what is. I feel that abstract artwork does just that--move you beyond the normal. LJS